Navigation

Among Radio Thieves – Review

By on May 16, 2018 in Reviews

Among Radio ThievesEastern European quartet Among Radio Thieves has a batch of rockin tunes on their hands. The alternative rockers have been releasing singles at a feverish pace, putting out five songs in the last four months. With such a prolific output, the band is on track to release a full album’s worth by year’s end. Their edgy brand of rock grows and progresses with each new release, giving the listener plenty to look forward to.

Among Radio Thieves

Their first single, “Modern Fairytale”, begins with a muffled transistor radio filter, guitar and vocals seeping in, conjuring a creepy circus feel. The song then fully kicks in with stop time hits, becoming a marching rocker detailing love lost and opportunities missed. The line “every time I’m doing well, life gets revenge” perfectly sums up the protagonists plight. As the song chugs along, the twin guitar attack builds until it reaches a pinnacle in the solo section, followed by a tom-tom fueled break. “Modern Fairytale” climaxes as the vocals recall the creepy circus feel of the intro, a great call back to earlier in the tune. Overall the song feels like it could have more direction and build until one gets to the ending, which really ties the whole song together and gives the listener a sense of having reached a destination.

Next up is “Whirlblue” which wastes no time kicking into high gear with Wolfmother-esque power. While the verse vocals start out fairly straightforward, they quickly evolve into a syncopated rap, a delightful yet unexpected development. The drums and guitar drive the song, rhythmically pushing the music. Lyrically “Whirlblue” continues exploring the theme of failed romance, perhaps an easy topic to reach for, but the band manages to at least explore the subject from a different perspective. The singer pleads with a would-be lover who is spurning their advances, “tell me what can I do? I think I’m in love with you.” The solo section surprises the listener with harmonica, unheard up until this point. “Whirlblue” builds into a fever pitch, with searing harmonica, ripping guitars and driving drums, and culminates with audible desperation and pain.

Their third single, “Lost” starts off with a shuffle rhythm, an energetic synth-y romp, almost recalling Depeche Mode. The lyrics are introspective and explore death and the fleeting nature of life, a welcome deviation from the unsuccessful relationship theme of the first two singles. The first-person perspective begins to feel slightly overused by this point, the conversational nature slightly impeding the listener’s ability to put themselves in the vocalists shoes. Still, the song maintains its power and energy regardless of lyrical topic. Channeling 80’s new wave at first, the song then builds into more of a sinister bluesy rocker, before falling way to a syncopated reggae feel in the bridge. While this much genre hopping could seem schizophrenic, the band pulls the changes off seamlessly, returning to an epic and driving blues-rock feel for the remainder of the song, the vocals and guitar reaching separate crescendos that gives the listener chills.

, , , ,

Comments are closed.